Donaldson: Revis contract is a win for the Patriots

Wednesday

Mar 12, 2014 at 9:20 PM

Everyone was wondering what sort of deal Darrelle Revis would get.

And from whom.

As I blogged Wednesday afternoon, nobody was going to give him anything close to the $96 million, 6-year deal he got last year from the Bucs, after they obtained him in a trade with the Jets for a first-round draft choice and a 2014 pick.

That pick turned out to be a 4th-rounder when the Bucs, eager to get out from under an onerous contract that averaged $16 million a season, waived Revis Wednesday.

If Revis still was on the Tampa Bay roster by 4 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, he would have received a $1.5 million roster bonus and the Bucs would have had to give the Jets a 3rd-round choice in the upcoming draft.

It was known that Revis was interested in coming to New England and playing for Bill Belichick if he became a free agent -- as was likely because, while the Bucs tried to trade him, the size of his contract made that, as it turned out, impossible.

After the Broncos lured the Pats' best cornerback, Aqib Talib, to Denver by overpaying to the tune of $57 million over six years, with a whopping $26 million of that guaranteed, New England, which was in obvious need of a replacement, had money to spend.

The Pats ended up giving Revis $12 million on a one-year contract for 2014.

While that's a big hit on the salary cap, it's hard to believe Revis couldn't have gotten more guaranteed money had he signed a long-term deal elsewhere. And, certainly, the Patriots couldn't have been the only team interested in him.

It'll be interesting, when he comes to Foxboro, to hear what he has to say about his decision to sign a one-season deal with New England.